I am a writer. I am the author of "Salt Water In My Veins," as well as countless articles in sailing magazines such as Yachting Monthly, Practical Boat Owner, Sail, 48 North, Latitudes and Attitudes, and Living Aboard. I even won a couple of prizes for my articles. From 2010 to 2014, I was the founding publisher and managing editor of a print magazine in Greece. Oh, yeah, I live on my sailboat in Greece, and my next book is due to come out in May of this year.
Here is the problem though. I don't have a real job anymore. I am retired on a small pension which doesn't begin to pay all the bills for moorage, repairs, maintenance, fuel, insurance, and food.
I love writing but it takes time to complete a book and publishing articles is not a means to a living wage. And a big confession - I suck at self-promotion. I am not very good at marketing and selling - it stresses me out big time. I suppose you could call me an introvert who comes out of her shell now and then and pretends to be an extrovert. Not a good personality characteristic for a sales job and that's what a writer needs to do once they've finished writing. That's why eventually my magazine folded - I couldn't do the business part of it and got ill from the stress.
I feel discouraged right now. I wish I could hire someone to do the marketing for me so that I could focus on writing.
So, what do I want? I want the support of a community of friends.
Here are some of the things that I'd like to accomplish in the foreseeable future:
- Maintain my floating home in a seaworthy condition. Specifically at the moment, get a new exhaust pipe made, some awning for shelter from the sun in summer and rain in winter, get the mast and rigging checked and updated, antifoul the bottom and replace worn out cushions in the cabin. I'm sure more jobs will come along since Eidos is almost 40 years old.
- Finish "Salt Water In My Veins II" by the end of April of this year and get help with publishing and marketing it.
- Write a few more articles for magazines.
- Finish at least two or three more books that I have in draft form over the next couple of years.
- Offer Creative Non-fiction Workshops online.
- Support beginning writers as a mentor.
- Offer my boat for a summer retreat afloat to other writers.
To do all this, I need about $1,000 per month extra income. Why specifically $1,000?
- A new exhaust pipe for the engine is 500 Euros (or $600 U.S.) plus installation.
- Sun awning will be about the same, so will the mast and rigging work - it's at least 15 years old.
- I also need to antifoul the hull which will be about $300.
As you can see it's a never-ending battle, and as you know, boating means throwing 100 dollar bills in the ocean. But this is my home and has been for the past 15 years.
The rest such as moorage, food, fuel, medical expenses, boat insurance, and so on, I think I can cover with my pension income.
So, this is why I signed up with Patreon. It's a membership platform that makes it easy for writers, artists, composers and other creators to get paid for their work.
In return for your patronage, I will provide content by posting the third draft of chapters of my latest book as well as updates on my progress on the writers' workshop and retreat. I will also keep you up to date on work being done on my boat and post photos and videos.
So, what else do you get?
-All patrons from $5/month level up will get a signed copy of my first book, "Salt Water In My Veins." and copies of my future books plus access to some extra benefits.
Want to contribute more than $5/month? Great! I am adding even more benefits that will be exclusive for people who participate at higher levels, discounts for workshops, videos and invitations to sail.
I'd really like to be able to focus on my writing career and not have to worry about my home falling apart underneath me, so I hope you will sponsor me for a dollar or more.
So, please be my patron. Thank you in advance for your support!
News Flash: I just got my first patron! Thank you!
Become a Patron!
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